Pizza & Politics Talks Impeachment
Posted: October 11, 2019 | Author: Tiago Rodrigues da Costa | Read Time: 2 minutes
Impeachment may be a topic that has been recently been in the news, but that doesn’t mean that students at Southern Utah University know all about it. This week Micheal O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service executive council members Autumn Thatcher and Savannah Robinson prepared and moderated the weekly Pizza and Politics on the topic of impeachment.
The presentation started with an explanation about the impeachment process including both the integrity and validity of the action and how misconduct charges against a holder of a public office happen. Many students in the audience were divided on whether or not the impeachment process is efficient.
When the question of clarity of impeachment proceedings in the Constitution was presented, many students in the room agreed the U.S. Constitution is vague in many ways. Some students stated the founding fathers didn’t have the knowledge of the future and impeachment is a more complex process in today’s America.
The presentation looked specifically at the impeachment processes of former U.S. Presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. All three were under different circumstances and happened during different times, but when the moderators asked by a show of hands if they should have been impeached, the majority of the room said yes.
When the recent impeachment inquiry and President Donald Trump was introduced to the presentation, students in the room were again divided. The possibility of the call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky constituting an abuse of power, and therefore an impeachable offense, was discussed. Some students stated if the Democratic Party cannot prove the offenses, it’s the Democratic Party the one that will lose the most.
Moderators Thatcher and Robinson ended this presentation by bringing impeachment back to SUU and explaining how impeachment works on campus. Article XI of the SUU Constitution is the one that outlines the process for the removal of an officer in the SUU Student Association. Pizza and Politics ended on a light note when some students in the room played with the possibility of Student Body President Jeff Carr, who was also in the room, being impeached. Carr concluded with stating that he’s also working on making this process simpler.
The Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service hosts Pizza & Politics every Wednesday at noon to discuss a current political topic. Leavitt Center student employees research the topic and moderate the conversation. These discussions expose students to a variety of important issues and encourage them to share their own perspectives while learning all sides of an issue. Free pizza is provided for all who attend.
Next week’s Pizza and Politics will focus on vaping and will be presented by Tom Cloward and Jayda Walton.
This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: Leavitt Center
